First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness today announced a £36million investment by US company Concentrix Corporation which will create over 1,000 new jobs in Belfast.

Concentrix is a subsidiary of SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE:SNX), based in California and currently employs over 800 people in Belfast.

Making the announcement at the company’s headquarters at Lanyon Place the First Minister Peter Robinson said: “This £36million announcement which will create 1,043 jobs by Concentrix is excellent news for Northern Ireland.

“This major investment is a tremendous boost for our local economy and is further evidence that Northern Ireland remains one of the most competitive countries in Europe for inward investors seeking talented people in a cost competitive location.

“The decision by Concentrix to reinvest in Northern Ireland sends a clear and strong signal to other potential investors that Northern Ireland remains a great place to work, live and invest.

“I welcome this continued investment by Concentrix and I wish them every success in their efforts to grow and develop their business.”

The deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: “This is an unprecedented jobs announcement by Concentrix creating over 1,000 jobs and contributing over £18million a year in wages and salaries to the local economy.

“On our recent business mission to the United States we hosted over 120 Business Executives in Silicon Valley.

“Christopher Caldwell, President Concentrix Corporation and General Manager, SYNNEX Global Business Services, was one of those Senior Business Executives. We took the opportunity to meet with Christopher and explain how important their investment is not just to existing workers but to the wider economy.

“This news today of over 1,000 jobs reinforces the messages, to retain and attract investment you must make every effort to meet and listen to investors regardless of where in the world they are based.”

Invest Northern Ireland has offered the company almost £3.5million of support for the business services jobs, many of which will be multi-lingual and involve technical support services.

“Investments such as this provide valuable job opportunities for a variety of people, particularly those returning to work, those who have experienced a period of unemployment and young people.

“The company considered a number of other locations before choosing Belfast. The availability of a skilled workforce, the competitive property costs as well as the efficiency of the company’s existing operations and Invest NI’s support secured the investment for Northern Ireland.”

Concentrix’s operations in Belfast currently service a number of high profile, blue-chip international companies.

Senior VP of Concentrix Philip Cassidy said: “Our strategy is to grow global revenues significantly over the next three years; this will require us to put in place over 1,000 new posts. Since we set up operations in Belfast, we have achieved excellent service delivery and now want to build on this to expand our European base.”

“The support provided by Invest NI, the quality of people and the cost competitive business environment makes Northern Ireland a very attractive location for us.”